Farmer’s knowledge, perception, and practices in managing insect pests and diseases of grapevine in Morocco

Abstract

An evaluation of pest and disease management practices was conducted among 181 grapevine farmers across five key viticulture regions in Morocco from 2019 to 2022. The primary objectives were to assess farmers’ knowledge, perceptions, and practices and to examine their impact on grapevine productivity. A diverse range of grape varieties was noted, with over 21 varieties yielding from 10 to 30 t/ha. Disease monitoring was reported by 97.4% of the winegrowers within their vineyards, but only 12.1% actively scouted for grapevine trunk diseases. A diverse array of over 40 active ingredients was evaluated against each reported disease. For instance, gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) was mainly treated with boscalid + pyraclostrobin (72%), mancozeb + thiophanate methyl (71%), cyprodinil (69%), and fenthion (69%). As for the downy mildew (Plasmospora viticola), seven active ingredients were significantly been highlighted including cymoxanil + mancozeb (72%), hexaconazole 5% (71%), iprodione (69%), and mancozeb (72%), while maneb (69%) was the most adopted treatment for black rot (Guignardia bidwellii) disease. Some of these treatments showed positive correlations with each other in targeting multiple pests. Identification and control of pests and diseases were often based on damage symptoms rather than on recording causal agents. Respondents were aware of the most common foliar diseases and pests. Multivariate analyses showed that there is a strong relationship between farmers’ characteristics and their overall knowledge of pests and diseases. However, farmers’ knowledge of major grapevine trunk diseases was relatively low and management practices were inadequate. The study underscores the critical role of improved practices and knowledge in mitigating the high variability in grapevine productivity experienced by Moroccan farmers.